JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — We’ve seen our share of rainy days but our area is still in a drought. Local experts say Florida’s aquifer levels are extremely low. The St Johns River Water Management District says it’s another reminder to use our water responsibly.
Day after day you’ve seen the First Alert Weather Team tracking rain and storms. Despite the recent rain, Clay Coarsey, Director of the Division of Water Supply Planning and Assessment, at the St. Johns River Water Management District said, “We haven’t been getting enough, enough of that rain for the water to seep down into the aquifer where we really need (it.)”
The Floridan Aquifer provides about 90% of the water residents use for things like drinking, bathing or watering our lawns. Coarsey said right now the aquifer levels are about 95 percent lower than average.
Coarsey said we’re dealing with evapotranspiration, heat and sunlight evaporating water, combined with plants pulling moisture from the ground. As a result, Coarsey said, “We need about three feet of rainfall over the next three months to get out of these drought conditions.”
Action News Jax Anchor Tenikka Hughes asked First Alert Chief Meteorologist Mike Buresh if that much rain over that time period is in the forecast.
Buresh said, “It’s not feasible to get that much rain over the next few months, even if we go wetter than average. And we are in our wet season. It’s just been sporadic. It’s been kind of hit and miss, which is not uncommon. It’s just been a lot of miss.”
Buresh and Coarsey said we can do our part to help by conserving water at our homes and businesses and follow local guidance on irrigation.
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